Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
Name: _______________________ Date: _________________
Year & section: _______________
Laboratory Exercise #1
COMPOSTING: Do the rot thing
I. INTRODUCTION
Composting is simply a way people use the natural process of
decomposition to produce a rich, fertile soil amendment. With materials such
as plant trimmings and kitchen scraps and a few basic techniques. Composting
is a smart gardening practice, because it recycles and reuses valuable nutrient
through organic matter returned to the garden. Using compost in your garden
will benefit soil health by improving tilth, increasing water retention and
creating air pockets for plant roots to grow.
The process of composting is allowing a mixture of organic materials to
decompose under more or less controlled conditions to produce a stable end
product which is used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. Anything that used to
be a living entity, be it a carrot, leaves, coffee grounds or a banana peel, can
be recycled through the composting process. While any organic material will
naturally decompose over time, composting is a focused scientific approach,
using the factors involved in decomposition to control the process in a more
deliberate manner.
II. OBJECTIVES
After this exercise, students should be able to:
1. Understand the principles of biodegradability, resource conservation,
recycling and composting;
2. Understand the fundamentals of building a pile; and
3. Know the creatures that lives in a pile.
III. METHODOLOGY
Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
Materials
- 3 sacks (full) of brown materials (e.g., rice straw, sawdust). If leaves are
not wet, it will need to be thoroughly damped during sitting up. If a hose
is not available for use, it is more effective to dampen the leaves ahead
of time. The leaves must be thoroughly dampened or it will not compost
into humus within the school year.
- 2 sacks (full) of clippings or other green material (such as weeds, fruit
and vegetable scraps).
- 2 sacks (full) of manure (such goat, rabbit, horse, chicken, and/or
carabao manure).
- 4 Bamboo holes for air circulation.
- Plastic for covering.
- Garden tools (grab hoe, garden claw, shovel, rake).
- Compost thermometer
Methods
1. Gather all compost materials. Note: Do not use diseased plants.
2. Select a well- drained, slightly elevated place near a water source. The
compost pile may be in the open field or under a shaded area. Prepare a
level area for the compost pile measuring 2m x 6m with bamboo stakes.
3. Pile the brown materials about 10 cm thick to serve as absorbent. Do not
step on the pile and keep it loose for air to enter.
4. Spread a layer of green material about 5 cm thick over the brown materials.
5. Spread a layer of manure for about 2 cm thick over the 2nd layer.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until the compost is about 0.5m high. Place a few bamboo
poles or breathers standing with clean nodes and holes on the sides. This
will keep the pile fluffy and allow air to penetrate the pile.
7. After 3 weeks, remove the bamboo breathers and turn the compost pile
over. Turning over is done by taking the materials from the first pile
nearby. The materials on the outside of the pile should be placed on the
inside of the second pile. Add water to keep the pile moist.
8. After 5 weeks, turn the pile over to its original place and allow
decomposition for 4 more weeks. Keep it loose for air to circulate. Retain
the bamboo breathers in the pile to serve as air vents.
9. Harvest the compost when the materials are no longer recognizable.
TIPS IN COMPOST PILE MAKING
1. A compost pile must have both air and moisture to hasten the decomposition.
2. Moisten the pile as it is being built. Avoid making it too wet. In dry weather,
add water to the pile to keep it moist. During the rainy season, cover the pile
to protect it from too much water.
3. Cutting or shredding of materials into smaller pieces may hasten the
decomposition of materials.
Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
4. The addition of high N-containing materials such as legumes, azolla, wild
sunflower, manures and other may speed up decomposition and thereby
shorten the maturity of the compost.
5. The inoculation of the compost pile with pure cultures of microbial
decomposers like the Trichoderma compost activator and indigenous
microorganisms may also speed up decomposition.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
RESULTS: Observation process
Week Physical appearance Temperature Presence of Organism
10
11
12
DISCUSSION:
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Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
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V. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
1. What is biodegradable? Name at least five biodegradables found in your
surroundings that may use for composting.
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2. In relation to #1 question, what would be the nutrients that they were
enrich for?
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Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
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3. What are the factors that may influence decomposition process? Justify your
answer.
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4. What is first level decomposers? Second level decomposers? Third level
decomposers?
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Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
5. Describe the changes observed during the composting period.
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Prepared by:
Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
SEPRIDA A. HALOG
CA Faculty
Name: _______________________ Date: _________________
Year & section: _______________
Laboratory Exercise #2
FERTILIZER FIELD TRIAL
I. INTRODUCTION
Field trial research is a form of experimental research. It is a systematic way of
comparing plant production technologies on a small piece of land. The different methods
that we compare are called treatments. In a field trial we try to keep all factors equal that
can influence the quantity or quality of plant production, except the different treatments.
Examples of treatments are different varieties of a crop species, different planting dates
of a crop, different levels of fertilizers applied to a crop, and different crop rotations.
In this case, we’re focusing on a field fertilizer trial. In which, a field fertilizer
trial is the comparison of different treatments which usually include an unfertilized plot
as control or check under actual field conditions either in the experiment station or in
farmers’ fields. There is no attempt to control the environment factors especially climate.
This method provides sound and dependable answers to questions related to fertilizer
usage like the questions of what kind, how much, how and when to apply fertilizers in
order to get most profitable agronomic response of different crops grown in different
soils under certain set of management practices. The results obtained serve as basis for
fertilizer recommendation for farmers’ consumption.
However, the validity of the accuracy of the recommendations are dependent on
the following point: (1) how well the experiment was conducted; (2) how accurate the
interpretations drawn from the results are made; and (3) how well the conditions under
Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
which the experiment is conducted approximate those under which the farmers grow their
crops.
The recommendations arrived at from the results of the field fertilizer trial should
be handled with some caution. Plant growth is a manifestation of the sum total effects of
many complicated factors. The effect of similar fertilizer treatments on plant growth and
crop yield varies greatly in different localities and season with different management
practices. It is for this reason that a minimum of two year – data are in needed in order to
ascertain the variations in the response of the crop to a given treatment from season to the
next.
Important reminders for trial making:
1. Choice of experimental site
2. Size of plot
3. Treatments
4. Weeding and spraying
5. Harvesting
6. Data gathering and record keeping
II. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this exercise, students should be able to:
1. Conduct a field fertilizer experiment; and
2. Discuss and interpret results of the experiment.
III. ACTIVITY
1. Each student will formulate a research problem on fertility management and
conservation. The computation of the amount of fertilizer materials needed per
treatment will be discussed based on the treatments in the research problem and the
result of initial soil analysis based on STK.
Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
2. Each student will decide on what specific crop will be their subject for the
formulation for a research problem.
3. Field work.
4. Data gathering, interpretation and discussion of results for submission at the end of
the semester.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
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V. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
1. What are the principles and components of field trials? Explain each principle and
component.
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Republic of the Philippines
DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE UNIVERSITY
South La Union Campus
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Rosario, La Union
Prepared by:
SEPRIDA A. HALOG
CA Faculty
